Falling Slowly
by pretense
Summary: Games that never amount to more than they're meant will play themselves out. Warning: Slash


**THESE ARE THE STORIES OF THE FIVE BOYS WHO HELD PERCY'S HEART.**

* * *

><p><strong>The one who believed<strong>

Old Mrs. Cooper shushed him, patting his head and telling him there was no such thing.

Percy Jackson, all of five years old, stomped his foot in protest. He saw it, saw the thing with his own two eyes. He saw that the man with the trenchcoat only had one big menacing eye in the middle of his face.

It was strange, yes, and he didn't expect anyone would believe him but he was scared. Percy was utterly frightened. The one-eyed man had been staring at him through the fence surrounding the playground and it was creepy as hell.

"Oh you kids and your imaginations," said Mrs. Cooper, her brown eyes a little misty behind the wire-framed glasses.

"But Mrs. Cooper–!" Percy tried to pull his hand free from the old woman's hold as she patiently pulled him out the door.

The rest of the kindergarten class were romping around the playground – playing in the sandbox, taking turns on the swings and seesaws, and generally enjoying their recess period.

"I don't see anyone in a trenchcoat around," the white-haired teacher placated.

Percy quickly scanned the grounds and found his teacher's statement to be true – the scary man was gone. Sea green eyes looked up to the old woman, doubt still swimming in their midst. "What if he comes back?"

"Well if he does, you go straight to me and I'll see to it that he doesn't bother you again, is that alright with you, Percy?"

Despite his misgivings, Percy managed to nod. Hoping so badly that the man wouldn't appear again.

* * *

><p>A week passed and Percy has gladly forgotten about the strange man.<p>

Today, they had art class and, as usual, the plastic tables were covered in colored paper and glue with a spattering of glitter in a select few. Excited chatter filled the room as students compared works; some ran from table to table to borrow materials. When the bell rang for dismissal, everyone was in a rush to go home and showcase their little masterpiece.

Mrs. Cooper dutifully led the bunch of kids out to the entrance hall where the adults waited. One by one, the children were paired off with the parent or guardian who'd come to take them home.

Percy moved to sit in one of the couches and set his finished artwork on his lap; his mom would arrive soon enough. He waved goodbye to some classmates but mainly, he stared out the front door looking for any sign of Sally Jackson.

Through the queue of adults and children heading out the door, sea green eyes found their attention drawn to a shady figure hanging around the entrance wearing a dark fedora on its head.

Closer inspection confirmed the boy's worst suspicion – underneath the brim of the hat, a single calf-brown eye was staring right at him.

His heart jumped to his throat. Percy tore his eyes away, sliding off his seat and running towards the elderly teacher. "Mrs. Cooper! Mrs. Cooper!"

The woman found her hand held captive by the boy. She excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with one of the parents and turned to face her distraught student. "Yes, Percy, what is it?"

"He's back. The scary man is back!" Percy cried, waving his other hand in the direction of the door and unknowingly scattering the glitter from his artwork onto the floor.

Mrs. Cooper raised her eyes to the wide-open doors and indeed found a man in a trenchcoat hovering just beyond it. She told Percy to stay put and she strode up to the stranger, heels clacking as she went.

Percy hung back, wary eyes trained on his teacher as she spoke with the creepy man.

The conversation took less than a minute and the stranger peaceably went away but not before taking one long look at Percy that raised goosebumps on the boy's skin.

"He won't be bothering you anymore, dear," Mrs. Cooper said with a rather vacant smile on her face when she returned to Percy's side.

"Won't you report him to the police?" Percy asked.

Mrs. Cooper's thin white brows knitted together. "The police?"

"Didn't you see he's got only one eye?" Percy pressed. "He could be a monster that eats little kids!"

"Oh, Percy," Mrs. Cooper patted the boy's dark hair. "Monsters aren't real. The man's got two eyes like everyone else."

"But…"

"Come on, you just wait inside with the others until your mom picks you up."

The white-haired teacher ambled off, heading towards the small gathering of her students who were yet to be fetched.

Green eyes focused on the open doorway, a shiver running through his bones.

"He was real scary."

Percy jumped at the voice, turning to find one of his classmates sharing his frightened look. "Did you see him too?"

"He had only one eye," the boy whispered as though scared that the stranger would reappear if he so mentioned it. "Mrs. Cooper's right – we should probably stay inside."

Percy found himself nodding.

That was the first time he had someone see the world the same way he did.

Karl Goodwin led the way back into their classroom.

* * *

><p>For the duration of the following weeks, Percy spent a lot of time with Karl. They shared stories of everything strange that they've encountered so far – which surprisingly turned out to be a lot considering that neither of them had been conscious of the world for more than five years.<p>

Karl hailed from California and most of his encounters happened during the time he and his dad lived there.

They were on the swings talking animatedly about the storybook Mrs. Cooper read to the class before recess. Percy joked about the nonsensical plot and Karl gamely offered the other boy a doughnut as a consolation.

Specks of sugar stuck to the area around Percy's mouth as he bit into the baked pastry. It felt good. Not just the doughnut but having someone to talk to like this, someone who took him for his word and didn't think he was just imagining things.

If there was a word for it, Percy would choose magical cliché-sounding though that may be.

All of a sudden, Karl stopped swinging – his hand gripped Percy's hand tight. A fearful look had settled in his brown eyes as he stared past his fellow student.

Green eyes followed his friend's gaze and Percy felt the same emotion run through his veins – the one-eyed man was back.

"We should tell Mrs. Cooper," Karl said, pulling at Percy's hand.

"I don't know," Percy found the air leaving his lungs. A single brown eye was staring at him, it looked absolutely menacing – maybe the guy, the _monster_ was mad at him for what he'd done. It certainly looked angry. "He looks like he wants to smash me to bits…"

"All the more reason to tell the teacher!" The Californian urged, getting his friend off the swing.

The two of them rushed back to the classroom and reported the appearance of the trenchcoat-wearing man. They didn't dare mention the stranger's single eye anymore, it was easier to convince Mrs. Cooper to confront the guy when they skipped out the 'imaginary' parts. But when the three of them headed out, the creepy man was gone.

Mrs. Cooper patted the boys' heads, she let them stay inside since recess was almost over anyway. Both children were eager to have the four walls of the classroom shielding them from the Cyclops (because from what the fairy tales described that was probably what the man was).

Percy realized a little belatedly that he was still holding on to Karl's hand but neither of them seemed to want to let go.

* * *

><p>It would've been great to say that Percy and Karl remained friends but at the start of the summer, Karl's father was offered a job up in Canada. The two friends parted reluctantly and Percy would soon have his classmate's memory buried in the back of his childhood memories.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The one that broke the norm<strong>

When Percy was ten years old, Sally Jackson enrolled him at Patterson Corps. It was a boarding school in New York that his previous school recommended in Percy's report card at the end of the last school year.

Sally kissed Percy's cheek when she dropped him off at the dormitory on the first of September. A severe-looking woman checked Percy's name on the list she had on her clipboard and gave him his room assignment and keys along with a class schedule. With the promise of sending weekly letters, Percy was left at the ancient entrance hall as Sally drove off.

He dragged his suitcase up two flights of stairs and opened the door that had a brass number 202 on it. He was greeted with an onslaught of Britney Spears' music and the sight of his roommate wearing a fuchsia t-shirt and tight shorts, dark curly hair bouncing as he bopped to the song.

The guy stopped his shimmying when he heard the door open, hazel eyes wide and a dusting of pink to rival the color of his shirt rose on his cheeks. He quickly hit the stop button on his boom box. "Um... hi."

"Hello," Percy said a little cautiously. He checked the tag on his keys to make sure he had the right room. He did. "The strict lady downstairs said I was supposed to room here…"

"Oh, roommate!" The boy grinned flecks of gold brightening his eyes, he stepped forward and extended his hand. "Call me Zach."

"I'm Percy."

* * *

><p>Fifth grade was a lot harder than fourth; even more so in a military school.<p>

The rules were rigorously applied, the teachers incorporated the school's values of discipline and responsibility in every lecture, everything was so formal-like and the uniforms were itchy. The only space that allowed for leisure was the dorm rooms and even those had to be cleaned up once a month to pass inspection.

Classes were divided – boys and girls had different schedules to follow so Percy found himself spending a lot more time than he was used to in an all-male community. It didn't suck too badly, he had Zach in all his classes and they got along splendidly.

Zach was a riot, Percy learned quickly enough. He liked a lot of things that Percy was sure normal boys considered too girly – his fuchsia t-shirt and extensive Britney collection were just the tip of the iceberg. Zach's quirks notwithstanding, he proved to be a really good athlete; in fact the guy was the best spiker of the whole volleyball league and he had a record of 10 seconds on the hundred-meter-dash.

Percy wasn't of the very sociable type but Zach was a total social butterfly. He was friends with practically the whole class and most of the kids from other year-levels too. Percy found his social circle a litter bigger than usual thanks to his friend.

* * *

><p>Months flew by in a breeze and, time-consuming academic requirements aside, Percy found military school to be pretty good.<p>

He was walking back to his room after a rigorous homework making session in the library with a few boys from his class. His backpack was slung over one shoulder and Percy twisted the doorknob only to find it locked. Funny, he was pretty sure Zach said he'd be in. Shrugging, Percy got out his room keys from an outside pocket of his bag and unlocked the door.

A step in was all he managed before he completely froze at the sight.

Zach was kissing another student. Another _male_ student. They broke apart at the creak of the door and stared with deer-caught-in-the-headlight expressions at Percy.

"S-Sorry," Percy hastily backed out and closed the door. He ran all the way out the dorm.

* * *

><p>Percy couldn't avoid the thought – it wasn't very graphic, just a soft touching of lips and laced hands but still: two boys. He didn't know that was allowed. The rule book forbade leaving a boy and a girl in a room together, sure, but it never mentioned leaving two guys together. Oh wait, the whole dormitory was full of boys sharing rooms with each other. That was… problematic.<p>

He slumped onto a seat in the garden, the least bit mindful of the light dusting of snow that was soaking into his pants.

Okay… clear-up time:

Zacharias Carson was his roommate and close friend. His favorite color was fuchsia. His favorite artist of all time was ABBA. He's great at volleyball. He loved The Chronicles of Narnia. He got along real well with just about everybody. And apparently, he like-liked boys.

Percy wrapped his head around the idea and after a few minutes of consideration he realized it wasn't terribly outrageous despite his initial reaction.

So Zach liked boys. Percy was fine with that…

* * *

><p>Dinnertime rolled around and Percy was at his usual table in the Dining Hall. Two other classmates had already taken their seat; the remaining chair was soon occupied by Zach himself.<p>

Zach acted a bit guarded around him, Percy noticed. His roommate kept up the conversation but his voice would hitch ever so slightly when Percy talked to him. And to think they were only treading trivial topics like school projects.

When they finally went back to their room, the incident (as Percy had begun to call it) hung over their heads.

"So," Percy began, kicking off his shoes as he sat on his bed facing the other boy. "You and Lloyd…"

"Yeah," Zach blushed profusely, one hand scratching the back of his neck. "…Are you – I don't know, mad?"

"Mad?" Percy's eyes widened. "Why would I be?"

Green-brown eyes peered bashfully at Percy. "Well, we kind of made you uncomfortable with… you know…"

"Well, I can't say I wasn't surprised but…" Percy shrugged. "I don't mind if you liked him that way…"

"… Really?" A hint of his usual smile lit up Zach's face.

"Just, you know, leave a do not disturb sign on the door or something next time," Percy grinned.

* * *

><p>With December came the winter break. Percy bid Zach goodbye at the front steps, pressing their cheeks together as they hugged. "Happy Christmas," Percy said as they parted.<p>

"Same to you," Zach returned the sentiment in equal warmth.

A familiar Camaro zoomed up the driveway and Sally Jackson got out from the driver's seat.

"Mom!" Percy ran over, dragging his suitcase behind him and Sally welcomed her son back with open arms.

Sally placed Percy's luggage in the backseat and the boy excitably introduced his mother to his schoolmates. "This is Zach and Lloyd, and Marco, and Ernest." The boys gave varied greetings and Sally smiled at them all.

It was a shame that they couldn't linger for much longer, loads of other cars filled with parents all waiting to reunite with their children still lined up the driveway.

The dark-haired boy grinned and waved back as he and his mom returned to the car. For once, the thought of going back to their apartment (back to Smelly Gabe, for that matter) wasn't as gloomy as it had been the previous years. Percy was only too eager to spend more time with his mom – he missed her dearly in the past four months and he intended to make the most of the short time they had. Christmas this year was simply bound to be better because Percy had a lot of good stories to tell – ones that he couldn't quite word out in his letters.

* * *

><p>The school year was nearly ending and Percy, for the first time, hoped that he'd be back in the institution again the next year. He'd actually grown to love the place and the friends he'd made were all very nice.<p>

But then the end-of-year dance happened. And Percy heard unnecessary words spoken. It would be easier to say thank god there were teachers close by before things took a turn for the worse.

Being advised to transfer out of Patterson Corps ate at Percy's insides the whole five minutes he spent in the Principal's office. His innards hadn't stopped digesting themselves one hour later.

Zach and Lloyd sat together, hands entwined in the other bed, watching morosely as Percy began packing his things.

Hazel eyes were dark with sorrow and Zach wetted his dry lips. "Percy, I…"

"It's okay," Percy gave a watery smile. "Better me than you."

Zach shook his head sadly, rising from his seat and enveloping his roommate, or ex-roommate now, in a fierce hug. "You shouldn't have beaten up that stupid idiot…"

"He called you names. He said you were disgusting – I can't just ignore those things, Zach. Especially when they're said about my friends," Percy mumbled back, catching Lloyd's equally sad eyes.

"Look at it this way," Percy said, holding his friend at arm's length once they finished their embrace. "At least that empty-headed bully got kicked out too."

* * *

><p><strong>The one too beguiling<strong>

Luke was handsome, there was no denying that. Even in Percy's distraught state right after losing his mom, he felt his just-broken heart flutter at the genial smile the older demigod sent his way. Meeting the son of Hermes was the one good thing that Percy had on his first day at Camp Half-Blood.

It's a little embarrassing and Percy didn't dare admit it to himself but he preferred being near Luke rather than with any other camper. Percy tried to reason that maybe it's just because he's still a little lost and maybe he's been swayed a little too much by the guy's friendly gesture of providing him with clothes, toiletries, and a sleeping bag – it _was_ the nicest thing anyone's done for him considering his impromptu appearance at camp. And it was followed with even nicer gestures – Luke gave Percy some extra space on the already crowded Hermes table, he pulled Percy nearer to the front when he mentioned that he was a bit cold during the campfire sing-along, he ruffled Percy's hair goodnight before he called for lights out.

So yeah, Percy was a little bit captivated.

Percy practically purred at the pride in Luke's eyes when he did well during sword fighting lessons; it kind of made up for the major failure that he was at other camp activities. If Percy gave extra effort in Luke's class than in any other then it was nobody's business.

* * *

><p>Poseidon's claiming changed everything for Percy but through it all, the only thing in his mind was regret – he kind of overshadowed Luke's victory at Capture the Flag. But Luke was cool about it and that only made Percy fall for him a little more.<p>

When everyone else was apprehensive of Percy, Luke treated him the same. He voluntarily gave up his free time in order to continue teaching Percy about sword fighting since nobody wanted to have Percy join their class.

* * *

><p>The Oracle's prophecy sent shivers down Percy's spine but he chose to grin and bear it – he needed to save his mother from Hell. Seeing Luke running up the hill to catch them before they left for the quest, on the other hand, sent a different kind of shiver through Percy's body. He might've been blushing redder than Annabeth; he concluded that he probably did.<p>

* * *

><p>When the Iris Message patched through, Percy felt a corner of his mind rejoicing at the fact that it was Luke at the other end… Of course the call was planned to contact Chiron and the fact that it was the son of Hermes who answered it made Percy wonder a little if the goddess was trying to hint at something.<p>

* * *

><p>At his return to Camp Half-Blood after succeeding his quest, Percy practically melted when Luke pulled him into a hug.<p>

* * *

><p>During the Fourth of July fireworks, Percy tried not to look out at Luke's spot too obviously. Percy was sharing a blanket with Annabeth since they'd become considerably closer in the duration of the quest but if Percy had his way…<p>

Luke was undoubtedly popular at Camp and Percy couldn't figure out why the guy was sitting by himself at what was supposedly the 'most romantic event' of the summer.

Percy eventually came to his senses and he realized with alarm that Luke was staring right back at him. He averted his gaze, trying to tune in to Annabeth's long-winded explanation of the tradition but Percy just couldn't help himself. He sneaked another peek at Luke and all air escaped his lungs when he found Luke smirking right at him.

Light blue eyes gleamed under the moonlight and Luke gestured for Percy to come over. Percy did so, giving a half-formed excuse to Annabeth who crossed her arms and huffed at him.

A shy smile decorated Percy's lips as he settled beside Luke, the redness on his cheeks magnified when Luke threw a blanket across his shoulders and drew him closer as the fireworks show started.

The spectacle was beyond anything Percy had experienced – the images in the sky looked like a motion picture, only it was made out of bright explosions. Luke's warm breath ghosted over his ear as he whispered about the recreated battle ranging amongst the stars.

Percy turned his head slightly, trying to stifle a laugh at the joke Luke just told, but he found himself frozen at the older demigod's too-close proximity. He could hear his heart hammering in his ears, but that couldn't be possible since there's a huge lump in his throat that felt exactly like it.

Luke's smile is blinding, his eyes shone with something like amusement, and something like gravity drew Percy nearer.

Through half-lidded eyes, Percy could see Luke was leaning in closer, too, and that only made his whole face burn hotter.

Suddenly, there's a finger against his lips.

Heated breath brushes against Percy's lips as Luke chuckled, a hint of something furtive in his blue eyes. He remained close, his mouth just touching the other side of the digit he held against Percy; if anyone so much as glanced over in their direction it would look like they were kissing but they weren't. Percy's a little lost on whether he should've been annoyed or relieved by that fact.

"Just enjoy the fireworks, Percy," Luke whispered and then he retreated. He pulled the blanket tighter over them both, putting his arm around Percy's small waist and shifting closer to the boy.

Percy worried his bottom lip. "Luke, I'm so–"

"Don't be sorry…"

* * *

><p>The son of Poseidon was scared that Luke would start avoiding him because of the incident but, once more, Luke proved him otherwise. The sandy-haired demigod acted pretty much the same, going about his counselor duties and turning everyone's heads wherever he went.<p>

Percy was admittedly a little sad that he didn't have one-on-one sword fighting lessons with Luke anymore, having to share him with every one of the cabin eleven campers again made Percy a bit stingy. He may also have resorted to showing off whenever he'd won a duel just to see Luke smirking and then Percy would feel a little more fulfilled.

Luke's smile had a different shine to them these days, Percy noticed, like the older half-blood was keeping a great big secret that no one else knew. Percy assumed that it was about what almost happened at Fireworks Beach… then he'd internally berate himself for even assuming it and consequently smother his face into the pillows on his bunk.

At the bead ceremony Percy was flushing all the way into the roots of his hair when Luke gave him his own cord necklace – a black bead with a green trident already in place. "It was a unanimous choice." Luke told him, eyes bright with the smile that helped Percy sleep comfortably at night.

The sing-along that followed went well into the night and Percy felt all warm and tingly inside as Luke stayed beside him throughout the night, passing him s'mores and changing the lyrics of the songs under his breath much to Percy's amusement, one arm a constant presence on Percy's shoulders.

If Camp was like this for the rest of the year, Percy thought sleepily, then he would have no qualms about being a year-rounder…

* * *

><p>It was the last day of Camp and Percy was still a bit undecided – being a year-rounder meant having to leave his mom for months again and given what had just transpired, Percy realized he wasn't real keen on the idea. He went for a walk, hoping to get a sign on what he should do. His feet brought him to the arena and Percy found himself being in-awe all-over again when he found Luke swiftly destroying the straw dummies they used for training. Luke's new weapon scared Percy just as much as it amazed him.<p>

Percy couldn't deny Luke when he invited him for a stroll…

When Luke set the pit scorpion on Percy, his scarred face held no remorse. He disappeared with a slash at the air leaving Percy with a cold 'Goodbye'.

The dark-haired demigod almost wished the poison had offed him, he wouldn't have had to deal with the great heartache that came after if that was the case. Instead he woke up in the infirmary and was forced to reveal Luke's betrayal…

* * *

><p><strong>The one playing basketball<strong>

Percy used to think that his 'part-time job' as a demigod out to save the world was limited to the summer months. The events that transpired last December, however, proved otherwise. Said events included literally carrying the weight of the world on his back and watching the guy who was out to destroy the Western world fall a few hundred feet down a cliff and survive. He also partied in Olympus but that was beside the point.

It was now January, the first week back in school, and Percy was carefully reconstructing the half of his life that was (for the most part) free from mythical influence. Percy was a little proud of himself actually, he'd been doing marginally better this year than before. It could have something to do with the fact that he would be graduating middle school this year but Percy liked to think that he was simply improving.

Of course, whether Percy improved or not didn't exactly deter his teachers from piling a fresh batch of homework on his class. His Physics class in particular was a big pain in the behind – good thing P.E. followed after it.

P.E. class was, without a doubt, one of the few classes Percy did great in. It was a healthy outlet for his ADHD and going into a summer camp that particularly trained warriors gave him a bit of an advantage when it came to dealing with what most of his classmates found as strenuous exercises. Also, P.E. was his last subject every Tuesday and Thursday – that allowed for Percy to stay a bit past class hours and join the varsity basketball team in their practice. The team captain was in the same grade as Percy, his name was Jonah O'Donnell and he was totally cool with Percy joining the team's practice; in fact he'd suggested more than a dozen times for the teen to apply but Percy kept denying his offers.

"Let me guess your New Year's Resolution."

Percy turned, dribbling the basketball in one hand. He found none other than the varsity captain himself strolling into the gymnasium. "What happens when you guess wrong?" Percy asked, tongue-in-cheek.

"A better question is what do I get if I guess right?" Jonah retorted, catching the ball when Percy threw it at his chest.

"You'd have to guess first," Percy bantered good-naturedly, going into a defensive pose.

The rubber ball impacted hard on the smooth floor, emitting deep echoes as Jonah crossed the basketball between his legs, dribbling. "Alright," he charged.

Percy put up his hands in an attempt to block the other teen's movements.

A gleam of mischief lit up Jonah's mocha brown eyes, he faked right, fooling Percy for a moment, but that was all it took for him to shoot a three-pointer and score. He wore a toothy grin as Percy stuck his tongue out at him and the latter then went after the ball. "I'm guessing you still don't want to join varsity?"

"Nope, not a chance," Percy replied, palming the roughish surface of the sports ball.

"That makes me right, then," Jonah smirked, jerking his head to the side to displace the longer strands of dark brown hair from his eyes.

Percy dribbled with one hand as he approached, offering a quirk of a grin. "It was a predictable inference – you knew my answer won't ever change."

Jonah tsk-ed. "Come on, I'm not gonna make you do anything remotely embarrassing, I swear." He shot out his hand, stopping Percy's attempt at a fast drive. "Just one banana split from the ice cream store down the street."

"That's it?" Percy tried another run around the guy but Jonah's reflexes were quick.

"That's it."

Percy made another fast drive but once he saw Jonah reacting to it, he fell back and did a jump shot. Of course, this was the basketball captain he was playing against.

Jonah effectively smacked the ball out of its planned trajectory. His brand new sneakers touched down with a loud slap and the bouncing rubber sphere echoed in the background. He stood to his full height, a light sheen of sweat covering him, a triumphant smirk on his lips. "So about that banana split…"

* * *

><p>Friday afternoon found Percy waiting at the gym bleachers for Jonah who was currently in the locker rooms having just finished the day's training with his team.<p>

The varsity captain meticulously scrubbed himself clean in the showers, wanting to make a good impression on Percy during their 'rendezvous' (as he'd come to calling it in his head). He pulled on a clean shirt, used that new can of body spray his mom bought him, put on his letterman jacket, and then sprayed again for good measure.

"What is that smell?" Percy crinkled his nose a few minutes later as Jonah got out to meet him.

The jock raked back his hair with one hand, a nervous gesture he'd grown accustomed to over the years. Jeez, they haven't even left the school yet and Percy was already turned off. _Classy, O'Donnell, real classy._ "Um, that was just body spray. Don't mind it."

Percy shrugged and jumped off the bleachers.

Casual talk ensued as they trekked the short distance from the school to the Delicious De-Lovely Ice Cream Shoppe – commonly known as the DDL. The place was a bit crowded since it was the end of the day and a lot of the students wished to celebrate surviving the first week back. Luckily, they easily found a free table for two and settled in, a waitress wearing the cotton candy pink uniform stopped by to take their order.

"One large banana split, please," Jonah said.

"Large?" Percy raised a skeptic brow.

"Duh, you expect me to be the only one eating here? I'm willing to share."

Percy rolled his eyes at that. "Fine." He turned to the waitress. "Extra serving of blue sprinkles on top."

The brunette noted it down. "Anything else? Drinks?"

"Just two waters, Marie," Jonah winked, reading off the woman's nametag.

Marie gave a smile back and went off to make their order.

"Flirting with the waitress and we're not even five minutes in this place," Percy tutted in mock-reprehension.

"Shut up, I wasn't flirting with her," Jonah lightly hit Percy on the arm.

"The red blush on her cheeks says otherwise," Percy teased.

Marie returned before Jonah could make a comeback, she set two glasses of cold water and a bowl of banana split on the table.

"Thanks," Jonah smiled at their waitress who only blushed deeper and nodded before heading off to get to the other customers.

Once the woman was out of earshot, Percy chided. "She totally added extra chocolate syrup on this."

"Did not."

"Did too," Percy insisted, picking up one of the spoons and taking the first scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with blue sprinkles.

"Whatever," Jonah conceded, cutting up the end of the sliced banana and scooping up his own share of the treat. "You're still paying."

A kick to the knee under the table was Percy's playful reply. "All because of a single blocked jump shot," he sighed dramatically to which his companion couldn't help but snigger.

It took them a little less than an hour to finish the dessert by which time they had discussed movies, sports, and a bit about the events of their Christmas holidays – Percy was very careful about what he spilled about that last topic. At least a dozen familiar students passed by, intrigue being the most common reaction when people saw the pair sharing ice cream.

Percy managed to hold back his cackling long enough for them to exit the shop after paying.

Jonah looked slightly annoyed but found himself joining in the laughter soon enough. He crumpled the receipt with Marie's name and number and threw it in the nearest trash bin. What happened wasn't exactly ideal but hey, at least they had fun.

* * *

><p>Cold January bled into dreary February but despite the uncooperative weather warmth seemingly permeated the entire school thanks to the upcoming Valentine's Day celebration.<p>

The widely and wildly commercialized holiday happened to fall on a Wednesday that year, bringing life to the usually dull midweek activities. The school radio took up requested songs and read out dedications and there would be a concert in the afternoon which allowed for the cancellation of last-period subjects much to the students' delight and the faculty's disproval. Naturally, the varsity jocks and the cheering squad manned a kissing booth.

Percy, for his part, wasn't very big on the holiday. Sure he received at least one store-bought Valentine card each year but they weren't really serious ones as far as he could tell.

Truthfully, once the primary school teachers stopped requiring them to hand out paper hearts to everyone in class so no one would be left out, Percy's disposition on the holiday was rather guarded. Not that Percy hated the concept – heavens no, it's just that when you've met the goddess of love herself and had experienced first hand the magnanimity of the emotion, you tended to be a bit more wary of emotional declarations.

Imagine his surprise when on Valentine's Day itself, he opened his locker to find a beautiful rose. To be exact it was a rose carved out of chocolate. And it looked pretty expensive. The attached card was plain white with a simple Happy Valentine's Day printed in cursive font but it didn't have a name. It took a moment for Percy to recognize the heat on his cheeks.

* * *

><p>As they reached the middle of the month of May, the pressure on the varsity teams increased. Percy knew this for a fact because his previous Tuesday and Thursday schedule of staying after P.E. class to shoot some hoops with the basketball team had become an everyday agenda. He became such a common face amongst the players that he was already some sort of honorary member.<p>

By some miracle, but it was more than likely the result of Jonah's intense training routine, their varsity basketball team made it to the district finals – a feat not seen since at least a decade prior. As it was, they didn't mind being first runner up.

Jonah shook the opposing team captain's hand amidst loud cheers from the crowd. His eyes inevitably flicked over to a certain spot in the gymnasium when he was handed their consolation trophy. He expected to see a smiling face but what he found was a vacant seat; he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that.

Meanwhile, Percy was irritably dodging the fists of a janitor in the men's room – it was a cannibal giant in disguise.

* * *

><p>Once the final exams were over, all that's left was the end-of-year dance. Admittedly, Percy wasn't much of a dancer. The only reason he attended these school socials was because he knew that attendance was counted and the teachers gave you extra credit for it.<p>

The thing about middle school dances was that nobody expected formal clothing – casual or semi-formal outfits were good enough so long as they don't break the dress code. Percy chose to go with jeans, a t-shirt, and a vest.

Beach balls and umbrellas hung from the gymnasium's ceilings, actual sand were placed strategically around the place and the art club had outdone themselves with photo booth and various other decorations that helped bring the 'Day at the Beach' theme to their school. Smooth boppy music blared through the stereos and students crowded the dance floor in pairs and groups; of course there were the handful of students who preferred not to mingle. The organizers seemed to have expected the attendance of these non-participants and had kept a section of the basketball court untouched. Percy gravitated over to the playing field the moment he arrived.

A game was already in motion but Jonah eagerly added Percy to his team since they've been playing handicapped – four against five. Nobody was seriously keeping scores; the game was mostly to pass time until they were allowed to leave. They eventually gave up the ball when some of the younger batches requested to have a go at the court. Agreement was unanimous when someone suggested they hit the buffet table.

Chips, pastries, candies, finger-food in general were laid out on the cloth-covered tables at the opposite end of the gym. The boys loaded their paper plates and then set off towards the bleachers for a place to sit. Jonah put down his plate beside Percy, beaming. "I'll get us drinks, yeah?"

"That'll be great, thanks," Percy replied.

"Be right back." The varsity captain ran off.

Percy shoved a handful of barbeque-flavored chips into his mouth, chewing with as much finesse as a hungry teenage boy could which wasn't really a wise choice considering the question that was suddenly popped at him.

"Hey Percy, are you guys dating?" Ross, the varsity's point guard asked from the row above.

An utterly confused look was Percy's initial response. He swallowed his food with a bit of discomfort. "Who?"

"You and Jonah, mate," Mac, the power forward, clarified.

"Me and…" Dark brows knitted as Percy found himself completely baffled. "We're not."

"Really?" Mac pressed, chewing on a licorice stick.

"Really." Percy ate another chip. "Where did you get the idea? Jonah isn't even gay."

Laughter burst out from the entire team. "Technically-speaking, Jonah isn't totally gay," one of them managed. "But he's half-way there!" another one said.

"So Jonah's bi?" Percy clarified, a teeny bit surprised at the revelation.

"He dated both Cody and Cara Slater last year, remember?" Ross looked incredulously at him.

"Uh, _hello_ – transferee, here?"

"Oh yeah." Ross' face scrunched up. "See, man, you hang out with us a lot I practically forgot you just transferred."

"To be precise, you hang out with Jonah a lot," Dennis, another varsity, added.

"I like basketball," Percy shrugged.

"And Jonah?"

"He's a good friend."

"Aw _damn_… Sorry about your loss, mate," Mac said sympathetically, his eyes trained on someone just behind Percy.

Jonah's smile was a little held back as he handed Percy a cup of punch, his face colored pink just like the four seasons juice.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry if that kind of ruined the night for you…"<p>

Green eyes stared at the forlorn teen walking the streets beside him.

"I never planned to make a move on you until I was sure the go signal was on but you're a really cool friend and I'm totally okay that that's all we'll ever be." Jonah's mocha eyes met his gaze, the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

Percy felt heat all over his face at the confession. He was glad that the varsity captain was a gentleman – his heart was in the right place. Percy couldn't say the same about himself but he did know how it felt to have strong feelings for someone and not even be granted the chance to express them. He knew that his own heart still had that big gaping hole of 'what could have been if he'd kissed Luke on Fireworks Beach two summers ago'. He wasn't about to let Jonah go through the same thing – not if he could help it.

They reached the Jacksons' apartment and as Percy stood in front of the door with Jonah standing on the lower step it felt a lit like a final goodbye. Jonah was going to continue high school at Sterling while Percy would be enrolling at Goode next year.

Tears misted in their eyes as they hugged goodbye. "I'll miss you," Jonah whispered, breathing in deep before finally stepping back.

Percy only smiled fondly, brushing back the dark brown tresses from the other boy's face.

Jonah O'Donnell was Percy's first kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>The one from Bayeux<strong>

Fitting in with the normal crowd at his new school was a bigger challenge than he'd ever thought possible. Percy tapped a pen against his desk as his homeroom adviser failed spectacularly at getting him interested in the rundown of Goode's rules and regulations. It was a cruel joke for him to be struck in a classroom while Kronos was out somewhere wreaking havoc on the world.

That's right, the Titan Lord had escaped Tartarus and the means he used to do so hadn't stopped giving Percy hellish nightmares. How could it not when Kronos was walking the earth using Luke's body as a vessel. Eyes of gold haunted Percy's dreams and a voice of pure malice constantly echoed in his head. He once thought that he'd never find horrors that would match his first journey through hell to save his mother – seeing Luke lying in the sarcophagus looking dead for the entire world to see easily proved otherwise and it just steadily got worse from there. The fact that Camp had pointedly told him to lay low and focus on school, to leave the others to sort out the mess only added to Percy's frustration.

The son of Poseidon spent the first day of school going around in a daze, his body sat in his classes but his mind wandered miles and miles away. He was sitting by his lonesome at the cafeteria during lunch, distractedly stabbing his lasagna when a familiar figure came up to him.

"Hey Percy…" Rachel Elizabeth Dare smiled uneasily at the teen. She was holding up a lunch tray of her own, only taking the empty seat adjacent to Percy's when he nodded at her in acknowledgement. "How are you?" she asked, raising concerned eyes, green meeting green.

"I can't believe I'm wasting my time here instead of going out to fight," Percy said with a huff, a little bit soothed at finally having someone to rant to. Rachel wasn't a demigod like him but she had clear vision, she could see through the Mist, and this ability of hers had been a big help to him and to Camp Half-Blood last summer when they had to deal with Daedalus' labyrinth. "They can't expect me to just sit here and do calculus when there's a war brewing."

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip, unable to find the right words to appease her friend. A tap on her shoulder effectively interrupted her thoughts.

"Excuse me," a baritone voice spoke from beside the redhead. Both Rachel and Percy looked up, finding a guy who was out of uniform standing beside their table. He had shoulder-length pale blond hair that he tied back in a ponytail, his eyes were sapphire blue and he wore a rather sheepish smile on his naturally pink lips. "You are from Mr. Pruett's class, too, correct?" He pronounced 'oo'-sounding words a little dramatically.

Rachel's eyes brightened with recognition. "Yes, um, hi – Boniface, right?"

The blond nodded. "I am ashamed to admit I am a little confused with the workings of this country's currency. May I ask for a little help?" As he said this, his deep-set eyes drifted towards Percy. "I hope it wouldn't be an inconvenience…"

It took three nudges from Rachel before Percy snapped out of his daze. "Sorry, um, what?" Percy asked, trying to act not-too-obviously flustered.

"I said I'll be right back," Rachel gave the demigod a pointed look. She stood up and began leading the Frenchman away.

This Boniface guy smiled a little shyly, a little apologetically at the dark-haired teen left at the table as he followed after his classmate.

The five minutes it took for Rachel and the foreigner to make their purchase and subsequently return wasn't enough for Percy to compose himself because wow, that new kid was real cute no doubt about it.

"I've invited Bon to sit with us," Rachel stated as she returned to her seat, her blond classmate taking the chair beside her.

"That's cool," Percy nodded, taking a drink to appease his suddenly-dry throat.

"Bon, this is Percy Jackson – he's a freshman, too, but he goes to a different class," Rachel made the introductions. "Percy, this is Boniface Montrose, he's an exchange student from France."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Boniface said, extending his hand over the table. "Please, just call me Bon."

"Alright," Percy replied automatically, taking the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you, too."

Bon had a firm grip.

* * *

><p>On Friday, Percy tried out for the basketball team. Rachel went with him to cheer him on and for some reason Bon showed up at the gym, too. The Frenchman sat beside Rachel and engaged her in conversation, from his place in the line-up Percy could see them whispering behind their hands. He wondered why the pair thought the gesture necessary – it wasn't as if anyone could hear them since they were on the bottom-leftmost corner of the bleachers and everyone else occupied the middle section.<p>

The coach was a forty-something guy who had his short cropped hair dyed silver. He blew on the whistle and the try-outs began. It was a tough competition and in the end only the top twenty point-earners got in. Percy wasn't too bitter about his loss.

Rachel was more than willing to demand a re-match but Percy steered her out of the gymnasium before she could make a scene.

"It's not a big deal that I didn't get in, Rachel," Percy was saying as he pushed the redhead by the shoulders through the hallways at school.

"But you tried very hard," Boniface spoke up from beside them having followed the pair. "It is a shame that you didn't make the team."

Percy glanced at the exchange student, wondering idly why the guy came after them. "Thanks…"

Boniface's lips were apparently set to a perpetual smile.

"Hey!" Rachel suddenly pushed Percy's hands off her shoulders, steadying her feet on the ground. "Look where you're pushing!"

Sea green eyes darted to the girl, realizing that he'd almost run her through a row of lockers. "S-Sorry."

Thin lips pursed, Rachel rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She then checked her watch. "Well it's already five, the car's probably already waiting in the parking lot. I'll see you guys Monday!"

"Sure." Percy nodded.

"Bye." Boniface gave a little wave of his hand.

Rachel then left, leaving the two guys by themselves in a deserted hallway.

"Uh…"

Sapphire eyes gleamed, reflecting the deep orange of the setting sun that came from the wide window at the end of the hall. "Will you be leaving, too?" Boniface asked, long fingers skimming the strap of his messenger bag.

Percy attempted to shove his hands into his pockets but found that he was still in his gym uniform, he settled for letting his hands hang loose at his sides. "I, uh, yeah, kind of. My mom would be expecting me at home… How about you?"

"Me? Oh, I am staying with the other exchange student's family," Boniface answered. "They are really nice people."

A nod was the only reply Percy managed to come up with.

There was a couple of seconds where the two teens merely stood and smiled at each other (it was an awkward smile on the demigod's part) until Percy's ADHD kicked in and he blurted out. "I really should go now."

Boniface's grin grew wider at that and he spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I will see you Monday, then."

"Yeah." Percy started walking away and Boniface followed. "Um, shouldn't you be heading home yourself?"

The Frenchman's eyes were bright with amusement. "Well, the only way out is through the front doors, correct?"

Percy's face heated up. "Of course, right, I knew that." He could feel Boniface's eyes on him even as they parted ways when they got to the sidewalk.

* * *

><p>When Percy got home he went straight for the ice cream tub in the fridge. He should be ashamed of himself, his mental voice nagged.<p>

So some pretty boy showed up at school – no biggie. Percy had bigger things to worry about – school requirements, Paul Blofis planning to propose to his mom, Kronos attempting world domination… if only his mind would actually _focus _on those things.

Not on distracting blue eyes, not on silky blond hair, and definitely not on curved lips.

Upon returning from her writing class, Sally found Percy groaning with his cheek against the dinner table. A suspiciously empty pint of cookie dough ice cream lay upended right beside him. Her son was complaining of a stomach ache.

* * *

><p>After a month of having the Frenchman a constant presence by his side at school (the guy actually started hanging out with him even when Rachel wasn't around) Percy concluded that, yeah, Boniface Montrose was totally coming onto him.<p>

The last piece of the puzzle fell during the second week end of October when Rachel invited them out to see a movie, some Scandinavian work that was on limited screening. She took care of the tickets and come seven pm on Sunday, a limousine drove up to the apartment. Sally kissed Percy's cheek goodbye and the teenager slid into the backseat with a promise to be home before ten.

Percy expected the subtitles, he expected not understanding a single thing about the movie, he even expected falling asleep somewhere in the middle of the show. What he didn't expect was blearily coming back to consciousness sometime before the movie ended to find another face so close to his own.

Boniface's eyes were dark (or maybe that was just because they were in the cinema) and his hand lay lightly atop Percy's on the armrest between their seats. "I really like you, Percy Jackson," he whispered, biting down on his bottom lip.

It must've been the dregs of sleep that made his decision-making abilities questionable. It must've been the darkness that cloaked and morphed the other's blond-and-blue features into a more familiar face. Whatever it was, Percy found himself leaning in.

Lips tasting of butter and a hint of salt melded together, chaste and unhurried. When they parted, it was with a soft sigh from both parties. Percy was suddenly all-too-aware of Boniface's fingers entwined with his own and the fact that Rachel was just on his other side.

Green eyes filled with dread and Percy began to pull away. "I shouldn't have done that," he whispered, more for himself than anybody.

Pale brows wrinkled in concern, Boniface held on a little more securely to the other boy's hand. "It's not anything to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed," Percy said lowly, pulling his hand free. "I'm not even confused. But I just _know_ that this won't lead anywhere…"

The exchange student stared back calmly; the credits started rolling before he finally murmured a reply. "That's okay – I am not looking for anything serious…"

* * *

><p>Percy was fifteen, other kids his age were allowed to fool around. Who was to say that he should be an exception?<p>

It wasn't a regular habit and it never went too far – some stolen kisses in empty corners of the school, extended make-out sessions when Sally hasn't arrived at the apartment yet, it led to some frenzied dry-humping _once_ but that was it. Everything was done in full clothing.

If he had a conscience, Percy thought, it wasn't doing its job right. Then again, he was antsy and he was hormonal and when he kissed Boniface somehow, someway it pushed away the thoughts of the war, of Kronos away from his mind. It was just what he needed, or what he thought he needed at least.

One thought still remained, however, and as tongues explored and hands pulled close that one single thought only became more vivid. Vivid like fireworks, like strawberry fields, like sandy beaches, like training arenas, like scars, like mischievous smiles…

He should feel guilty, he really should, but he couldn't afford it. Not when he was trying to hold on to faded memories of short messy blond hair, perfectly curved lips, and blue, so very blue eyes.

* * *

><p>Rachel might've suspected that something was going on but she never got the chance to prove it. Come January, Boniface's stint as an exchange student came to its destined end.<p>

Percy waved goodbye to him at the airport and as the plane took off taking the teen back to Bayeux, France, Percy resolved that he'd stalled enough.

Mean though it sounded, Boniface was a distraction at best – a distraction from the woes of the Olympian world, from things that he had not been allowed to participate in but now the teen was going away and he would be taking the illusions Percy had created with him. And Percy was just fine with that.

He had to focus back on the war.

* * *

><p><strong>AND THIS IS THE STORY OF THE ONE WHO BROKE IT.<strong>

* * *

><p>In the end it was Annabeth who saved Luke. In the end it was Annabeth's words that brought Luke to his senses. In the end Luke was dying.<p>

Percy fell to his knees beside the man – Luke was a young adult now, it's been four years and Percy could see how time had taken its toll on the guy. Blood flowed freely from the wound the demigod had inflicted on himself to destroy Kronos. Blue eyes stared into him and Percy felt his breath hitch like it had all those years ago. Luke's mouth was quirked into a weak grin, seeing it only tugged harder at Percy's heart.

Grover helped Annabeth limp over and Luke gave them his final words. Annabeth confessed her love for the man but Percy was deaf to all that, the only words he heard were the ones Luke spoke to him.

Luke raised a weak hand and Percy grasped it in his own without hesitation. The rough palm settled on his cheek, caressing lightly, apologetically. An all-consuming heat enveloped Percy at that simple touch. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it… Don't let it happen again."

Blue fire burned in Luke's eyes.

"I won't," Percy said, his voice not higher than a whisper. "I promise."

The son of Hermes nodded, managing a short chuckle. "By the way, happy birthday…"

Just like that his tears broke free. Percy let go of Luke's hand, leaning in close, pressing their foreheads together, staring deep, breathing shallow. "Damn it, Luke," he whispered brokenly. "You should've been my first kiss… my first everything…"

"Shh," Luke hushed, his hand moving to the back of Percy's neck, urging the teen lower. A shadow of a smirk passed his lips. "You could be my last…"

Percy kissed him. Blood and sweat and tears and all. Luke kissed back; tongue slipping past Percy's lips, claiming what could've been his long ago.

Their first kiss tasted of copper and regret. The heat that thrived in their veins had nothing to do with Hope burning safely in the hearth in the middle of the room, it had everything to do with the flame of a love that never stood a chance. As Luke exhaled his last breath, warm lips going slack, Percy's name was the last word to leave. His hand fell back but Percy caught it quick, pulling the lifeless appendage close to his heart.

Grief unlike anything he'd experienced before wracked his body. Percy lost himself in tears but he held back his sobbing, it was almost as though he was holding in the last puff of air Luke had left in his mouth.

The thundering noise of metal on marble broke the deathly silence that had filled the throne room – the Olympians had arrived in full war regalia. They were anticipating a fight, what they got was a funeral.

"Percy," Poseidon's voice called, familiar but somewhat vague to his own son's ears. "What… what is this?"

With a final chaste kiss on unmoving lips, Percy Jackson raised his head and faced the Olympians.

"We need a shroud," Percy announced, voice cracking, lips stained with blood that wasn't his own but were very much a part of him. "A shroud for the son of Hermes."

* * *

><p><strong>THIS HAS BEEN THE STORY OF PERCY JACKSON.<br>****THE STORY OF HIS HEART.  
><strong>**THE STORY OF LUKE CASTELLAN.  
><strong>**THE ONE MAN WHO OWNED PERCY'S HEART AND TOOK IT WITH HIM TO HELL.**


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